HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania's Unemployment Compensation computer system will be TEMPORARILY SHUT DOWN from May 30-June 7 to install a new computer system. During that time, claimants will NOT have access to their accounts. The Dept. of Labor and Industry states that the system will reopen on Tuesday, June 8.

Phone lines will remain open for questions at 888-313-7284, but you will not be able to file a claim by phone.

More information is available at the following links:

This will NOT affect Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Programs that will transition to the new system are: 

Important: The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) website is not shutting down! If you file for PUA by logging in with a username and password, you are not affected. 

HARRISBURG - Work search requirements for individuals receiving unemployment benefits will restart the week of July 11, with individuals to begin certifying on July 18 that they have looked for work during the previous week.

More information from the PA Dept. of Labor and Industry:

LASP's Annual Report is at press and will be in mailboxes shortly. Thank you to our staff, Board of Directors, donors, volunteers, funders, and community partners for your support!

Highlights:

Note: This report covers July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020. Contributions made from July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021 will be recognized in the 2020-21 report. There are multiple ways to donate to LASP! Learn more at lasp.org/ways-to-give, or donate here: bit.ly/LegalAidHelps.

Thank you to The Foundation for Delaware County! LASP is grateful to be an Impact Grant recipient.

Delaware County Daily Times story (May 9, 2021)

by Peg DeGrassa: https://bit.ly/3xY6QLz.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) moratorium on residential evictions is set to expire on June 30, 2021. APPLY NOW for rent and utility assistance to prevent eviction.

Pennsylvania Emergency Rent [and Utility] Assistance Program (ERAP)

PA's Dept. of Human Services (DHS) website for the Emergency Rent [and Utility] Assistance Program (ERAP) is now open for applications. http://bit.ly/38YznWs. Tenants can apply through COMPASS or their county offices (see the statewide list). Apply online through COMPASS, or use the paper application, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Cambodian, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Bucks Emergency Rental Assistance (BERA) Program

www.buckscounty.org/renthelp or call 1-888-50-BUCKS. Tenants and landlords are encouraged to apply. LASP is one of the partners in this program. March 17 press release.

Program flyer.

Need rental assistance? Call 211 and select prompt 2.

Tarde con el pago de la renta? Enfrentando un desalojo? Llame al 211.

Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA)

Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance opened March 26, 2021, at delco-era.com.

Montgomery County Emergency Rent and Utility Coalition (ERUC): https://yourwayhome.org/eruc

Call Your Way Home by dialing 211, text your zip code to 898-211, OR contact any of the following six participating nonprofits directly:

Norristown Emergency Rental, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance - Home Improvement Program (ERMUA) https://hip.cgph.net/norristown-cares. Clients can call 484-808-2112, email NorristownCARES@gmail.com, or fill out an application online.

WEST CHESTER - LASP continues its partnership in the Chester County Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Project, with United Way of Chester County, LCH Health and Community Services (formerly La Comunidad Hispana), and local food pantries.

In 2019 and 2020, this project helped 510 people lower their property tax payments by more than $900 per home owner. Sign up now at United Way of Chester County's website, or call 610-429-9400. (Para más información en español, llame a 610-444-7750 opción 8.)

Need more information and/or flyers? See LASP's website: http://bit.ly/2P5lVZH.

Are you struggling to afford internet service during COVID-19? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) provides:

More information:

In April, the Yale Law School Veterans Clinic settled a nationwide class action lawsuit against the U.S. Army. The settlement requires the Army Discharge Review Board to reconsider certain discharge upgrade decisions where post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions were a factor in the veteran’s less-than-honorable discharge. 

Under the settlement, some veterans will receive:

To learn if you might be eligible for automatic reconsideration or reapplication rights, visit: kennedysettlement.com/faq.

More information:

If you think you might be eligible for relief under the settlement, call our Veterans Advocacy Helpline at 610-283-0884.

The Veterans Advocacy Project provides free civil legal aid to veterans in service-related matters, including VA benefits initial applications/appeals and discharges upgrades, and other civil legal problems, including housing, eviction and foreclosure; bankruptcy, consumer law and debt relief; employment law, record-sealing (Clean Slate), and pardons; family law; public benefits, including Unemployment Compensation, SSI, SSDI, TANF (cash assistance), SNAP (food stamps), Medical Assistance (Medicare); utilities; and more.

LASP attorneys will hold a Veterans Law Clinic on Thursday, June 3 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

at State Rep. Craig Williams' district office, 1 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford (intersection of Route 202 & Naamans Creek Road). Call 610-358-5925 to schedule your appointment. Scroll down to Events, or visit lasp.org/events/veterans-law-clinic-june-3-2021.

HARRISBURG - Uninsured Pennsylvanians or those affected by COVID-19 can visit pennie.com and enroll in a plan through Aug. 15: https://bit.ly/3uesKIm.

VIRTUAL ETHICS CLE! The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) and the Montgomery Bar Association (MBA) will jointly present a CLE on diversity and inclusion:

Moderator: Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith, PLAN Administrative Officer

Objection! is an interactive educational experience on diversity, inclusion, and bias issues in the legal profession. Developed by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Board and Carnegie Mellon Entertainment and Technology Center, this program aims to advance awareness of these issues in the legal community. Facilitator-led, the program incorporates animated vignettes, audience polling technology, and group discussions to explore realistic workplace situations and contemplate issues, viewpoints, and ethical issues.

PITTSBURGH - In a May 3 letter to attorneys, PA Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer issued a letter requesting that all attorneys in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commit to Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which calls upon lawyers to provide public interest legal service.

Baer writes, in part: "This year, the need is especially acute. The global pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income groups, and the resulting financial and familial stressors are exacerbating the need for civil legal aid among those who cannot afford private counsel. The Supreme Court supports civil legal aid programs in a variety of ways, including creating a continuing legal education pilot program to increase support for those programs, enacting rule changes to facilitate the provision of pro bono services by retired lawyers, funding a loan forgiveness program, and celebrating the work of pro bono volunteers. The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network works in conjunction with a range of regional and specialty legal aid providers, and these structures offer myriad opportunities for volunteer lawyers to donate their time and legal skills as well as their financial support."

To read the letter, visit the PA Bar Association website.

LASP offers pro bono volunteer opportunities in each county, and is accredited to offer CLE credit for pro bono service. Contact Kesha James, Deputy Director for Advocacy and Pro Bono Director, at kjames@lasp.org, or visit LASP's pro bono page: lasp.org/pro-bono.

To donate to LASP, please visit, bit.ly/LegalAidHelps.

DOYLESTOWN - Protection from Abuse (PFA) hearings take place Wednesdays at the Bucks County Justice Center at 100 N. Main St., Doylestown 18901.

To volunteer with LASP's Bucks County Division, please contact Randi Riefner, Paralegal and Bucks County Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator, at rriefner@lasp.org or 215-770-4067.

Attorneys, paralegals, law students, and other legal professionals are needed to help with workshops through July. Attorneys are needed for hearings beginning mid to late summer. To learn more or to volunteer, please contact Brian Doyle, Staff Attorney and Chester County Pro Bono Coordinator, at 484-416-4259 x5210 or bdoyle@lasp.org.

The project is now accepting Chester County applications. See story above or the article on our website.

Eviction filings are on the rise in Delaware County! Pro bono volunteers are needed to represent clients in eviction court. Many clients are currently arriving at court WITHOUT the CDC Declaration. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eviction moratorium ends June 30, 2021. The need for pro bono assistance is expected to be even greater when the moratorium expires.

To learn more or to volunteer, please contact Thomas Kerstan, Staff Attorney and Delaware County Pro Bono Coordinator, at tkerstan@lasp.org or 484-206-7808.

The Eviction Prevention & Intervention Coalition (EPIC) has expanded to seven courtrooms across Montgomery County, including two courtrooms in Norristown, two in Pottstown, one in East Norriton, one in Jenkintown, and one in Lansdale. Pro bono attorneys are needed to represent renters at eviction hearings in all seven of these courts.

To learn more about volunteering for the EPIC program, please contact Michael E. Kelley, LASP Norristown Managing Attorney, at 484-322-6468 or mekelley@lasp.org.

In-person: Veterans Law Clinic June 3 in Chadds Ford

CHADDS FORD - LASP's Veterans Advocacy Project attorneys will join PA State Rep. Craig Williams at a free, IN-PERSON Veterans Law Clinic. Call 610-358-5925 to schedule your appointment to get help with your civil legal problem(s).

Assistance offered at the clinic will include:

In-person: Senior Expo June 11 at Upper Chichester Recreation Center

Virtual: What's new with Unemployment Compensation? June 17

LASP Staff Attorney Deborah Steeves will present information on the upgrade to Pennsylvania's Unemployment Compensation computer system, how and when to apply, and will answer your questions.

In-person: Landlord-Tenant Laws June 24

The Annual Campaign is under way!

To support legal aid for low-income, vulnerable people in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, please visit our website at lasp.org/ways-to-give, or donate at bit.ly/LegalAidHelps.

LASP will implement a Summer Attorney Fellows program. LASP Summer Attorney Fellows will serve temporary positions through Sept. 30, 2021 working four days (a maximum of 28 hours) each week. One fellow will be selected for each of the following offices/units:

If you received e-news as a forwarded email, or if you found it on social media, please subscribe at lasp.org/enews or email Marion Hoffman Fraley, Communications Director, at mfraley@lasp.org.

Past issues are at lasp.org/enews.